CHINA has launched a fresh round of army, navy and rocket force exercises encircling Taiwan, Xi Jinping’s military has announced.
Beijing described their concerning movements, which included 19 warships and 50 aircraft, as a “stern warning” and a “powerful deterrent against Taiwanese independence”.
AFPTaiwan say they detected at least 19 Chinese warships[/caption]
EPAThe Chinese aircraft carrier Shandong was seen near to Taiwan during the latest military drills[/caption]
Eastern Theatre CommandBeijing’s armed forces also posted a disturbing image of the small island with the words ‘Closing In’ on it[/caption]
The Chinese military even attacked Taiwanese President Lai Ching-Te by labelling him a “parasite”.
Taiwan announced today that it has detected at least 19 Chinese warships as well as the large Shandong aircraft carrier patrolling near to its self-governing island.
It marks the biggest number of enemy vessels seen in a 24-hour period since last May.
Senior Colonel Shi Yi, spokesman of the Chinese military’s Eastern Theater Command, announced the “sea-air combat-readiness patrols”.
He added that the move was a “joint seizure of comprehensive superiority, assault on maritime and ground targets, and blockade on key areas and sea lanes”.
Beijing‘s armed forces also posted a disturbing image of the small island with the words “Closing In” on it.
The poster showed Chinese ships and fighter jets circling the island.
It also bared the chilling phrase “Taiwan separatists courting disaster upon themselves”.
Bringing the province back in line with mainland China has been a goal of president Xi‘s for a long time with recent military activity showing he is ready to take it back by force.
In a brave response to the drills, Taiwan sent out its own aircraft and ships.
They also deployed land-based missile systems as they accused Beijing of being the world’s “biggest troublemaker”.
Why does China want to invade Taiwan?
Taiwan insists it is an independent nation after splitting from mainland China amid civil war in 1949.
But China claims Taiwan remains a part of its territory with which it must eventually be reunified – and has not ruled out the use of force to take the island and place it under Beijing’s control.
The island, which is roughly 100 miles from the coast of south-east China, sees itself as distinct from the Chinese mainland, with its own constitution and democratically-elected leaders.
Taiwan sits in the so-called “first island chain”, which includes a list of US-friendly territories that are crucial to Washington‘s foreign policy in the region.
This also puts it in an ideal situation to slow a Chinese attack on the West.
And with tensions between the two nations high, Taiwan is likely to aid China’s enemy if it means keeping its independence.
Taiwan’s economy is another factor in China’s desperation to reclaim the land.
If China takes the island, it could be freer to project power in the western Pacific and rival the US, thanks to much of the world’s electronics being made in Taiwan.
This would allow Beijing to have control over an industry that drives the global economy.
China insists that its intentions are peaceful, but President Xi Jinping has also used threats towards the small island nation.
In this years New Year’s address, President Xi even said that the people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait are one family.
He has previously called the independence of Taiwan a futile effort and that annexation by Beijing is a “historical inevitability”.
GettyChina has been threatening Taiwan with invasion and military drills for the past few years with them rapidly ramping up in the last month[/caption]
AlamyChinese President Xi Jinping has long threatened to take Taiwan ‘by force if necessary’[/caption]